Individual Mandate

Consumers who abandoned the Obamacare exchanges this year are entitled to a “hardship” exemption to the individual mandate penalty, CMS publicized Wednesday. This will directly affect people who chose to go uninsured or who enrolled in coverage that doesn’t comply with Obamacare protocols. This follows the agency’s April guidance that expanded the exemption to people who live in rural counties or have claims going back to 2016, but applicants still had to give a written explanation for why they required the exemption.

Shortly after announcing that the state will manage its own health insurance exchange for the 2019 Open Enrollment, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a bill enacting an individual mandate.

The bill, signed yesterday, requires all New Jersey residents to have health insurance coverage or pay a penalty. Democratic lawmakers drafted the bill in response to Congress’ decision to appeal the federal mandate established in the Affordable Care Act.

On Wednesday, December 13th, leaders from both the House and Senate will meet in Washington to finalize the Tax Cuts and Jobs Bill. If they decide to include removing the individual mandate, this will undoubtedly have an impact on healthcare in America – but it may be not as extreme as originally thought.